But since Chelsea started college we officially celebrate Noah’s birthday on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, even though his actual birthday is a few weeks earlier. Which means that the Friday after Thanksgiving is spent getting the cake (or cupcakes) ready for the big day. Which is why yesterday’s favor-“ette” never happened, as I was too busy making letters, numbers and assorted body parts for four dozen cupcakes (more on that in a later post!).

For the next few weeks I’ll be sharing my holiday favor-“ettes” – tips and tricks that I pull out in earnest at this time of year.

First up? Metal shakers!

I do a TON of baking from early November, right through Christmas. It’s essential for me to stay organized, and streamline the baking process as much as possible. So rather than pull out the big jar of flour or bag of confectioner’s sugar every time I need to line a baking pan or dust the top of a cake, I keep a collection of these shakers at the ready.

They’re clearly labelled so that I don’t confuse the flour with the corn starch (masking tape and a Sharpie work great). And I use an extra tall one for confectioner’ sugar (which I use a lot of) and keep the flour in a shaker with larger holes (to expedite the lining of multiple cake pans).

I would love to hear about your favorite holiday organizational tips – baking, cooking and otherwise – please share them in the comments below!